[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22960]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MR. BLAKE DeWITT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, September 27, 2008

  Mrs. EMERSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the tremendous 
accomplishment of a young man from my district, Mr. Blake DeWitt, who 
with hard work and determination has earned a valued place in the 
starting lineup of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  In baseball, Mr. DeWitt is making good on the promise he showed with 
Sikeston High School, where he batted .558 his senior year. He has been 
singled out with numerous awards, earning recognition as member of the 
all-state first team each of his four high school years, and ultimately 
being named to Baseball America's High School All-America first team. 
At the professional level, Mr. DeWitt began playing in 2004--working 
his way up to the major league club.
  Mr. DeWitt's athletic achievements would lack meaning without the 
solid character behind his athletic ability. He has been lauded by his 
coaches Joe Torre and Larry Bowa for his unshakable focus and demeanor. 
He is recognized both on the field and off to be a natural leader.
  Baseball has a special place in the hearts of all Americans, and Mr. 
DeWitt is fortunate to be able to play professionally--even with all of 
the hard work and the many sacrifices it has taken to get him to the 
major leagues. In Southern Missouri's Cardinal Nation, where you will 
find a local radio station (KRHW-AM) which is proudly part of the 
Dodgers Radio Network, we are lucky to have a young man committed to 
serve as an ambassador of our community wherever his considerable 
talents are on display.
  I'm very proud to commend Mr. DeWitt to this Congress and to 
congratulate him on all of his success in this, his first season in 
Major League Baseball. We should all look forward to much more of his 
success on the field.

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